Apparatus for piling sheets and plates



Aug. 30, 1938.

'6. F. PAUL APPARATUS FOR PILING SHEETS AND PLATES Filed May 7, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet l N .NNW

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VV/ TNESS HTTRNEY Aug. 30, 1938. Q F PAUL 2,128,316

APPARATUS FOR PILING SHEETS AND PLATES Filed May 7, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 L l e nrofwvy Patented Aug. 30, 1938 APPARATUsroR. PILmG SHEETS AND PLATES George F. Paul, Struthers, Ohio Application May 7, 1937, Serial No. 141,207

8 Claims.

This invention relates to apparatus for mechanically piling sheets and plates as they are successively delivered from forming or i'lnishing mechanism by a suitable conveyor and is therefore of particular utility in steel mills and other plants Where such articles are fabricated.

vWhile the invention is equally applicable to the piling of sheets and plates, generally distinguished from each other in the trade on the 10 basis of thickness, for conveniecce the term sheets will be used herein generically and will thus be understood as including plates as well as sheets,

As the sheets are sequentially delivered from l5 the production line at a predetermined station they are customarily assembled in symmetrical piles preparatory to packaging for storage or shipment, and it has heretofore been necessary to employ two or more operators to pile them manually and to remove the completed piles as Well as an inspector Whose sole duty is to examine the sheets being piled to prevent defective sheets being inadvertently included among them, so that the piling and inspection usually require the continuous attendance of at least three individuals, and sometimes more.

The apparatus of my invention, however, is

adapted to mechanically pile the sheets in accurate vertical alignment, thus obviating the necessity for any manual handling of them at all, and as it is actuated through the medium of simple and easily operated controls, the inspector alone, without neglecting his normal inspection duties, can readily effect the piling and alignment of the sheets as Well as the delivery of each pile when it is completed to a run-off conveyor operative to carry the pile to some remote point.

It is therefore a principal object of the invention to provide means for mechanically bringing a plurality of sheets delivered successively to a piling station into precise vertical alignment in a single pile.

Another object is to provide means of the character aforesaid operable to deliver the completed piles of sheets from the piling station to a runand pile moving apparatus which maybe controlled by a single operator in such manner as to enable him to subject the sheets to adequate inspection. and also to properly pile ythem and remove the completed piles from the piling station without excessive effort and with maximum eiilciency even when the sheets are delivered quite rapidly to the piling station from the production line or the like.

Other objects, purposes and advantages of the 10 invention will hereinafter more fully appear or Will be understood .from the following description of certain embodiments thereof during which reference will be had to the accompanying some-v what diagrammatic drawings in which: 15

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of piling apparatus adapted for piling the sheets and thereafter moving the completed piles from the piling station along a path in prolongation of the path of the individual sheets in their movement thereto; 20

Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof;

Fig. 3 is a view corresponding to Fig. 1 but illustrating a somewhat different form of apparatus adapted for piling the sheets and for then moving the completed piles away from the piling station along a path at right angles to that of the individual sheets, and f Fig. 4 is a side elevation thereof.

In'the several figures the same characters are used to designate the same parts, those in the 30 embodiment of the invention shown in Figs, 3 and 4 corresponding to like parts shown in Figs.

1 and 2 being accompanied by a prime Viewing the invention broadly, it is of course inconsequential Whether the piles of sheets to be 35 delivered from the piling station .in a path in prolongation of their path thereto, or at a right angle to said path, as the particular direction of their movement will usually be determined in accordance with convenience or other factors in 40 mill design; the embodiments of the invention shown in the drawings and herein described are therefore. merely illustrative of mechanisms which, among other things, are adapted to move the piles in the aforesaid directions but are not 45 to be construed as limiting `or confining the invention thereto as by suitable modification 4and adaptation either of the said mechanisms may be arranged to move the piles in any other direction.

More particularly, referring rst to Figs. 1 and 2, the piling and delivering apparatus will normally be positioned adjacent the end of a sheet production line the last units of which may be a conveyor C and a rotary ying or other shear -when individual sheets, as distinguished from elongated strips, are being carried along conveyor C.

fIhe piling mechanism proper is thus associated more particularly with the conveyor R at the piling station, and comprisesa plurality of individual units cooperable to act upon the sheets from several directions to bring a plurality thereof into exact vertical alignment at this station.

The conveyor R as shown comprises a pair of spaced parallel lines of conveyor rollers rI, r2 and in accordance with the invention between them is positioned a wheeled'carriage I which is adjustable longitudinally of the conveyor on supporting wheels 2, a removable pin 3 extending through 'a bracket 4 on the carriage and into anyone of several suitable holes 5 in the mill iloor providing a convenient means for holding the 4carriage in a corresponding adjusted position longitudinally of the conveyor, this adjustability being desirable to permit the proper piling of sheets of different length at diierent times.

The carriage I supports adjacent its end nearest conveyor C a stop 6 which is mounted on a horizontal pivot 1 in such a way that the stop may be held vertical, as best shown in Fig. 2, or allowed to swing downwardly and rearwardly on its pivot so as to lie beneath the plane of the top of conveyor R andthus out of the way of a pile of sheets being moved along the conveyor. To this end the stop is provided with an actuating arm 9 which is pivoted to the piston rod I0 of an operating cylinder II mounted on carriage I on trunnions I2, so that the stop may be brought to and held in upright position by retracting the piston in the cylinder by admission thereto of iluid under pressure delivered through a connec'-v tion I4, the flow of uid thereto and therefrom through`a flexible conduit I5 and pipe I6 being controlled by a suitable valve I1 disposed adjacent the piling station for convenient manipulation by the sheet inspector so that he may atwill raise the stop or permit it to fall rearwardly to inoperative substantially horizontal position.

During the piling of the sheets the stop is held upright and therefore forms a vertical abutment against which the ends of the sheets may be aligned when they are delivered to the piling station, and contact of the end of each sheet with j the stop is effected by operation of the piston in ljected between the lines of rollers to engage the adjacent edges of the sheets as they are successively delivered to the piling station and therealessia after move them into contact with s top 6 and thus into alignment with any previously received sheets which have been likewise so positioned. Cylinder 20 and its piston rod 2l are preferably made long enough, as shown, to permit platen 22 to be projected substantially to the far end of the piling station, which is.. considerably farther than the travel required for aligning the individual sheets against the stop 6, and this capacity for additional travel enables the platen'to be used for successively moving the completed piles of sheets Sp out along conveyor R, after release of stop 5, so as to clear the piling station for the reception of further sheets for the next pile.

The sheets in each pile are also aligned laterally, in a substantially similar manner, by `other mechanism at thefpiling station, which mechanism comprises a pair of vertical stops 30 positioned at one side of conveyor R and preferably adjustable relatively to the conveyor by screws 3l to accommodate different widths of sheets as well as to insure their alignment with each other and at the opposite side of the conveyor, a carriage 32 which is movable longitudinally of thel conveyor on wheels 33 but held in proper position with respect thereto byrollers 34 supported from brackets 35 engaging one side of a rail 36 carried by the conveyor frame and a pair of iingers 31 which overlle this rail and engage its opposite side.

The carriage 32 supports a cylinder 38 movable longitudinally thereof on wheels 39 'and tracks or ways 40, which retain the cylinder in position laterally through engagement with guide brackets 4I, and means such as pins 42 removably insertable invholes 43 in the tracks and corresponding holes in the brackets are provided to enable the cylinder to be iixed in different positions longitudinally of the carriage to. accommodate different widths of sheets.

The piston rod 44 of cylinder 38 has a platen 45v at its outer end adjacent conveyor R which when the cylinder'is in properly adjusted position onvthe carriage may be brought into engagement with the side edgesrof the sheets as they are successively received at the piling station to thereby move them transversely to engage their opposite side edges with stops 30,A the cylinder being provided with flexible fluid connections 41, 48 communicating with a valve 49 adjacent valves I1 and 28 to enable the platen 45 to be reciprocated at will.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that the sheets as they are successively received at the piling station may be brought by suitable operation of platens 22 and 45 into engagement with stops 6 and 3U, vdisposed at right angles to each other, and thus into longitudinal and lateral alignment with preceding sheets to form a pile of any desired thickness, and that after a pile has been completed it may be pushed from the piling station onto the adjacent part of conveyor R by projecting platen 22 to the outward limit of its travel to make room for subsequent sheets to form the next pile and that these several operations may be performed by a single operator merely by manipulation of thel several control valves. Moreover, as but a small amount of the operators time and attention is required for this purpose, there is consequently ample opportunity for himv to subject the sheets to careful inspection as they are being delivered to the piling station or after they are received at that station and while they are being piled.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in Figs. 3- and 4 a run-off conveyor R consisting of four lines of rollers, rl', r2', r3 and T4 is employed and arranged at a right angle to conveyor C so as to deliver the piles of sheets along a path normal to their path on the latter.

Accordingly three carriages I corresponding to the carriage I and thus each embodying a stop 6 and a cylinder I I', are provided while the elongated cylinder 20 is positioned outwardly fromv the front end of conveyor R and not under conveyor C. No shear is shown in these figures in association with this conveyor but of course one may be provided if desired. The conveyor has disposed beneath it a fixed cylinder 38', the sheet 1- engaging platen 45' of which is movable into engagement with the rear edges' of the sheets S after they are delivered from conveyor C to bring them into engagement with an opposite stop 30' adjustably fixed in position by a pin 50 entering one of several holes 5I in the mill floor; to provide a wide range of adjustment for the position of stop 30 to accommodate various sizes of sheets, conveyor R' is preferably interrupted transversely at a point in alignment with the stop without, however, impairing its ability to afford adequate support to the sheets.

The elongated cylinder 2D which is used for bringing the sheets into engagement with stops 6 in piling them and for moving the completed piles S'p out along conveyor R is supported from a carriage 53 mounted on rollers 54 and held adjacent the piling station by an additional' roller 55 engaging a rail 56 so that it can be moved laterally in correspondence with different sheet sizes to align its platen with the sheet edges at about the center thereof and it is also longitudinally adjustable along the carriage on wheels 5l, brackets 58 receiving pins 59 which enter into holes 60 in the carriage serving to maintain it in adjusted position.

Platen 22 of cylinder 20 is somewhat elongated upwardly and is shown as having a rearwardly projecting plunger 6I connected adjacent its upper end and slidable in a tubular guide 62 carried in brackets 63 on the cylinder heads to assist in holding it in vertical position but these and other details of construction are largely a matter of choice and therefore may be varied as desired.

The operation of the apparatus just described is substantially similar to that of the apparatus shown in Figs. l and 2 and therefore requires no extended reference, and it will be appreciated that it equally is capable of use with sheets of widely differing dimensions for .when sheets S of relatively large size are being piled, as Shown in the drawings, all three of stops 6' come into play and form a firm abutment for engagement by the adjacent edges of the sheets when forced thereagainst by the platen 22 which, under such conditions, is preferably located at about the center of the opposite edge of the sheets; when narrower sheets are being piled, however, cylinder 20 is moved nearer conveyor C and but two, or in the case of Very narrow sheets only one, of stops 6' are engaged thereby.

While I have herein shown and described with considerable particularity certain embodiments of the invention whereby its purposes and objects may be attained, it is to be understood that I do not thereby intend to limit or confine myself thereto in any way as other embodiments differing in form, construction and/'or arrangement from those to which I have referred will readily occur to those skilled in the art and may be utilized if desired without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims'.

Having thus described my invention I claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent of the United States:

1. Apparatus of the class described comprising a pair of spaced sheet engaging platens independently movable along paths at right angles to each other and respectively adapted to move a sheet horizontally along similar paths, a vertical stop interposed in each path traversed by the sheet when moved by a platen, means supporting one of said stops for movement out of the adjacent path to thereby clear it for the passage of a sheet beyond the stop, and means'operable to project said stop into said path and hold it there- 2. In combination with sheet conveying means, a platen movable along a path substantially parallel therewith, a fluid cylinder and a piston therein for moving the platen, a stop disposed adjacent the conveying means in opposed relation to the platen, means for sequentially delivering a plurality of sheets to the conveying means for movement thereon by said platen towards the stop, fluid operated means interconnected with the stop operable to project it into the path of movement of the sheets along the conveying means, another stop disposed adjacent one side of the conveying means, a carriage adjacent the opposite side thereof, a fluid cylinder and piston mounted on the carriage and a platen adapted to be reciprocated by the piston laterally of the conveying means to thereby move a sheet disposed thereon into engagement with the last mentioned stop.

3. In combination with sheet conveying means,

'a platen movable along a path substantially parallel therewith, a fluid cylinder anda'piston therein for moving the platen, a stop disposed adjacent the conveying means in opposed relation to the platen, means for sequentially delivering a plurality of sheets to the conveying means for movement thereon by said platen towards the stop, fluid operated means interconnected with the stop operable to project it into the patli of movement of the sheets along the conveying means, another stop disposed adjacent one side of the conveying means, a carriage adjacent the opposite side thereof and longitudinally movable with respect thereto, a fluid cylinder and piston mounted on the carriage and movable toward and away from said conveying means and a platen adapted to be reciprocated by the piston laterally of the conveying means to thereby move a sheet disposed thereon into engagement with the last mentioned stop.

4. Apparatus of the class described comprising means for supporting a rectangular sheet in substantially horizontal position, a pair of movable platens disposed adjacent thereto, means for respectively moving the platens to engage them with adjacent edges of a sheet when disposed on the supporting means to thereby move the sheet horizontally, one of said platen moving means comprising mechanism operable to project its platen substantially entirely across the supporting means, stops respectively adapted to limit movements of the sheet induced by the platens, one of the stops being movable out of the adjacent-path of the sheet whereby by projecting said platen substantially to the limit of -its movement when said stop is out of said path the sheet may be moved beyond the limit defined by the stop when in stopping position, and releasable means for positively moving the stop to said position.

5. In combination with means for sequentially delivering a plurality of sheets to a piling station, a rpair of spaced vertical stops respectively adapted for engagement by adjacent edges of the sheets, apair of platens respectively adapted to engage the opposite edges of the sheets, means for independently moving the platens to push the sheets successively into engagement with the stops and operable to move at least one platen substantially from one edge of the -station to the other, uid actuated releasable means for holding in sheet engaging position the stop opposite said last mentioned platen while sheets are being piled at the piling station, and means adjacent said stop for receiving a pile of sheets from the station after being moved therefrom and beyond the stop by said platen after release of said stop holding means.

6. In apparatus of the classdescribed a pair of platens independently reciprocal along paths normal to each other adjacent a piling station, means operable to reciprocate the platens and adapted to project at leastone of them from adjacent one edge of the station substantially to its opposite edge, means for sequentially delivering a plurality of sheets to the station, a stop oppositely displosed with respectY to each platen adapted to limit movement of each sheet along a path parallel to that of the platen, the stop opposite said projectable platen being movable out of tion of said platen substantially across the station.

'l'. In sheet piling apparatus, a piling station, a pair of platens respectively movable transversely thereof along paths normal to each other, means for moving each platen independently, means for sequentially delivering sheets to the station, a stop opposed to each platen to limit the movement imparted to each sheet by the respective platens when aligning the sheets to form a pile, at least one of said stops being movable to and from sheet engaging position, and means cooperative with said movable stop comprising uid actuated mechanism operable to bring the stop to and maintain it in sheet engaging position and to then release it preparatory toa pile of sheets being projected against it by the platen opposite thereto to thereby allow the pile to move beyond-the stop and away from the station.

8.1111 combination with means for sequentially -delivering a plurality of separate sheets to a piling station, a stop adapted for engagement by one edge of the sheets when in stopping position but movable to a non-stopping position, a movable platen adapted for engagement with the lopposite edge of the sheets, means operable to move the platen against said edge to successively push the sheets against the stop to align them vertically while a pile o f sheets is being formed and to then move the pile past the stop, and means for holding the stop in stopping position during the alignf ing operation but releasable to allow it to be moved therefrom by the pile under the influence of the platen.

- GEORGE F. PAUL. 

